Total Concentration: Constant!

"Lu You, before you leave, I still want to tell you that you're special, exceptionally gifted.

Though I don't know where your sense of urgency comes from, if you encounter difficult times, learn to take a step back. There's no need to rush, and you may find a way through."

Jigoro Kuwajima offered his earnest advice.

Lu You took a deep breath and nodded.

"Thank you, Master Kuwajima."

Of course he felt pressed for time, because the deadly threats in his home world followed him like a shadow.

He wished he could learn every Breathing Style, the bright red blade, and the Transparent World in a single day, unlock all his template abilities, and end his journey with a synchronization value of 1,000%.

But that was impossible.

People had to learn to face reality. In short, just like doing knife-only loot runs in Top Secret Space City, he would have to be a scavenger for now.

Sooner or later, he would get his chance to charge in with a tier-six loadout.

After saying goodbye to Zenitsu as well, Lu You traveled light and set off.

When he returned to Utsunomiya Town, the ruins there had already been completely cleared away. He did not linger.

But on the way to Mount Fujikasane, he encountered someone unexpected.

The man was powerfully built, his long white hair tied in a single ponytail. Red radiating markings surrounded his left eye, and he wore a diamond-studded headband, pale blue chains hanging on either side, with two gold earrings in each ear.

Gold bands adorned his biceps and wrists, and his nails were painted in alternating red and green. His outfit was quite lavish and flashy.

Clearly, there was no mistaking those features.

The Demon Slayer Corps' Sound Hashira, Tengen Uzui.

"How should I put this? A little accident happened along the way, so I ended up arriving late."

He laughed heartily and patted Lu You on the shoulder.

This guy's strong!

"From the looks of things, old man Kuwajima has already done a fine job. You, I came to tell you that headquarters isn't concerned about what happened between you and Kaigaku.

You don't need to worry."

"That's really... wonderful."

Though you're pretty late. It's already been two months.

Lu You thought, speechless.

Still, this was the second Hashira-level swordsman Lu You had met besides Giyu Tomioka.

The Sound Hashira was a forthright man who was also perceptive.

He could tell Lu You had no intention of leaving the Demon Slayer Corps. As long as he knew that, his mission here was complete.

But at that moment, a thought stirred in the Sound Hashira's mind.

This boy had not even passed the Final Selection, yet he could kill a swordsman close to Kinoe rank.

Did he really have boundless potential, as Oyakata-sama said?

Tengen Uzui suddenly felt like testing him.

"Are you planning to go to Mount Fujikasane now?"

"Yes." Lu You gave him a strange look.

Asking that question was no different from asking an air-conditioning technician what he did for a living.

"In that case, I can't let you get there so easily. You, try to escape my pursuit!"

The Sound Hashira suddenly said with a smile.

Lu You froze and looked at him in surprise. Man, why are you suddenly acting up? What did I ever do to you?

"Thirty seconds! You can have a thirty-second head start.

If I catch you, I won't let you go to Mount Fujikasane. I'll take you straight back to headquarters instead.

If you make it into Mount Fujikasane, then whatever you want to do afterward, I'll support you as long as it benefits the Demon Slayer Corps."

The Sound Hashira gave Lu You no option to refuse. The corners of his mouth rose, his crimson eyes brimming with confidence, and he held up five slender fingers.

"One, two, three..."

The moment Tengen Uzui said "one," Lu You turned into a brilliant streak of golden lightning and instantly vanished at the end of the rocky road, dust swirling in his wake.

Bites the Dust.

"He's only studied Thunder Breathing for two months, and he can already do this much... He really is a genius like Muichiro Tokito."

Sound Breathing was derived from Thunder Breathing, so Tengen Uzui naturally understood how difficult Thunder Breathing was. After all, he had studied it.

Precisely because of that, he knew how hard the First Form was to learn. It was a move difficult both to learn and to master.

Though inwardly shocked, he waited until he had finished counting thirty seconds before looking toward the dust rising in the distance. He bent slightly at the waist as violent power surged beneath his feet.

Boom!!!

Like a cannonball, he shot off as the rocky ground abruptly fractured in spreading webs. The Sound Hashira's towering figure vanished in an instant, leaving only a thunderous explosion in the air.

Bang! A sonic boom roared.

"Out of respect, I'll use fifty percent of my strength!"

Up ahead, Lu You pierced the air like lightning. Whenever he was about to slow down, his toes tapped rapidly against the ground, accelerating him again.

Faint golden currents of lightning flickered between his breaths.

"A speed contest... I'm not who I used to be. System, open the panel."

[Name: Lu You (intruder)]

[Psionic realm: early first tier]

[Divine ability: Astral Transit (red)]

[Strength: 28 Speed: 25 Energy: 21 Spirit: 1]

[Skills: Reverse Cursed Technique-blue, Malevolent Shrine-blue, Comprehensive Weapon Combat-green, Basic Swordsmanship-green, Water Breathing-Total Concentration-green, Thunder Breathing-Total Concentration-green, Basic Martial Arts-white, Psionic Manipulation-gray...]

[Constitution: Intermediate Physique-green]

[Loaded template: Yuji Itadori (current synchronization: 30%)]

After his Breathing Styles broke through to Total Concentration: Constant, Lu You's attributes began to soar rapidly.

Indeed, not long after he began studying Thunder Breathing, Lu You mastered Total Concentration: Constant, maintaining his Breathing Styles twenty-four hours a day without interruption.

*"Mastering Constant is equivalent to gaining a body-tempering function. It can improve my basic physical abilities.

Though everyone has a limit, and the ceiling of that limit varies according to talent.

But I don't. After all, I'm a sports student."*

And so his strength and speed attributes went off the charts.

His speed alone made that clear. After using Thunder Breathing, Lu You maintained a gap between himself and Tengen Uzui behind him the entire time.

If the other man sped up, he sped up too.

Seeing this, Tengen Uzui's lips curved upward. He knew he probably would not be able to catch Lu You.

As for going all out, there was no need. After all, after all, this was not a fight to the death.

Besides, as the honorable god of flashiness, when he said fifty percent, he meant fifty percent.

"Has this guy really been studying Breathing Styles for less than a year?"

Tengen Uzui stopped, clicking his tongue in wonder as he watched the golden streak ahead vanish over the horizon.

Sensing no further movement behind him, Lu You gradually slowed down until he returned to a normal walking pace.

He still needed to conserve his stamina.

"Did he give up? Then I'm truly grateful. With a Hashira's support, the chances of successfully reforming the selection process will definitely improve considerably."

His spirits surged.

If the Yuji Itadori template reached 50%, there would definitely be something good.

What he coveted most was the trait Cursed Energy Like the Sea (purple).

As long as he unlocked that, he would never lack cursed energy again. Then he could use Reverse Cursed Technique frequently, and even when using slashes, he could show off with the line:

"You're holding your head too high."

Several days of travel passed in the blink of an eye.

Lu You finally reached a mountain covered in blooming wisteria and stopped.

Falling purple petals swayed gently in the air, settling little by little onto the ground.

He extended his fingertips and caught one.

A delicate fragrance greeted his nose.

Numerous figures moved before him.

Looking up, he saw candidates already making their way up the steps.

Lu You hefted the Nichirin Blade at his waist, then began climbing the steps at an unhurried pace as well.

At the end of the steps was a flat clearing where a towering vermilion torii gate stood, with nothing but darkness behind it.

Two adorable white-haired little girls stood before the torii gate, holding lanterns. Their faces were delicate but very pale, their gazes deep and still.

"Thank you all for coming to participate in the Demon Slayer Corps' Final Selection.

The demons captured by demon-slaying swordsmen are imprisoned here on Mount Fujikasane, but the wisteria covering the foot and slopes of the mountain prevents them from leaving.

However, there is no wisteria within the mountain.

So surviving seven days on this mountain means passing the test. Otherwise, you die.

We wish you all a safe journey."

The flat, childish voices rang out across the clearing. Lu You narrowed his eyes.

*"To think that even in a real world, the Demon Slayer Corps still uses a testing method with such obvious flaws.

So, are the demons on Mount Fujikasane getting an extra meal?"*

Heh. Dream on.

Because I'm here.

"Let me borrow your heads, demons."